


First Snow

by AlixZin



Series: Alex and Lin [3]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Anxiety Disorder, Foster Care, FosterDadLin, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Parent-Child Relationship, Snow Day, cuteness, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-18 07:27:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9374423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlixZin/pseuds/AlixZin
Summary: While living with the Mirandas Alex experiences snow for the very first time.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Foster Dad Lin Collection](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6616012) by [ohNooOOOOoo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohNooOOOOoo/pseuds/ohNooOOOOoo). 



> This is what happens when it's snowed so much there's only been three school days this month.
> 
> Standard disclaimer: This story includes the character Lin-Manuel based upon his personality traits, however I am in no way suggesting it to be the actual man. It's a character.
> 
> It helps if you have read the prequel "Where You Started" for background knowledge, but not essential. This story was actually written first! If you want to read the meatier fics and aren't seeing them you will need to login.

 

“Lin! Vanessa!” comes the excited stage whisper that serves as Lin’s unexpected alarm clock. It takes him a moment to process what’s going on as he’s still half asleep. It’s not until he opens his eyes to see Alex standing in the door to their bedroom, not quite coming inside, that he’s suddenly wide awake.   
  
Something must be wrong. He’s never woken them up before, not intentionally anyway.   
  
“Alexander!” He says, sitting up quickly in panic. “What’s wrong?”  
  
“It’s snowing!” Alex responds, still using the stage whisper.  
  
What?! More confused than ever, Lin glances at his phone on the bedside table. It’s not even 5 am yet.   
  
“Wait, what’s happening?” he asks, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.   
  
“It’s snowing!” Alex repeats, this time using a tone suggesting that Lin might be a little slow. Lin’s eyes adjust to take in the teenager in front of him, still in his pajamas and with a serious case of bedhead. He doesn’t seem at all distraught, in fact, he’s sporting a huge grin on his face.  
  
“Okay….so, what is this about?” Translation: why the f-ing hell are you waking me up at this ungodly hour. That’s the babies job.  
  
“It’s beautiful. Everything outside is white and it’s still coming down hard. I thought you’d want to see…” Alex trails off, the grin leaving his face and he suddenly looks uncertain.   
  
Why is Alex acting like he’s never seen snow before? Unless…. He’s from the Caribbean and has only been here a little over a year. There’s a good chance Alex really hasn’t seen snow or at the very least it’s a rarity. This is a big deal for him, and Alex wanting to share his excitement with them is a small miracle. With this sleepy realization, Lin gets out of bed, forcing his expression from that of annoyance at being awoken to a hopefully convincing smile.   
  
“Okay Alex, come show me.”   
  
Alex’s grin returns as soon as Lin stands up and he’s bouncing lightly at the knee in excitement. God, he looks years younger. It could be the fact that he’s still half asleep, but Lin can’t think of a time he’s seen Alex look this happy before.   
  
“What’s going on?” asks Vanessa, only just now waking up.  
  
“It’s snowing!” Alex and Lin respond at the same time. Lin takes great pleasure in his wife’s baffled expression. 

“And?”  
  
“We’re going to go look at it,” Lin says cheerfully, as though it’s the most normal thing in the world.

Vanessa blinks at him, before coming to the conclusion that it’s too early in the morning for further inquiry. “All right weirdo’s, suit yourself. I’m going back to sleep.” 

\-----------

“Alright, throw on a coat over your pajamas and get some shoes on. We’re going to the roof terrace.”

“What about Sebastian?”

Alex wants to share the moment with the baby. That’s adorable. It’s also technically still the middle of the night.

“Not yet. For now, let’s just do you and me. Later when the sun comes up I’ll want to get photos of both my boy’s first snow.”

“It’s not though. This isn’t my first snow. Last winter it snowed a few times. I just didn’t get to go out in it. Or even really look at it.” Alex scrunches up his face in annoyance at the memory. This peaks Lin’s interest. From his reaction this doesn’t sound like something especially traumatic, just irritating. It’s probably safe to probe.   

“Why was that?”

Alex sighs dramatically. “Oh, I was staying with this old lady who was really strict and paranoid. She was convinced that if me or the other kids went out in it or even got too close to the window we’d get pneumonia and she’d have to pay the medical bills, so it was forbidden.”

“That sounds pretty stupid,” says Lin as he laces up his sneakers.

“Yep! I really wanted to too, but she smacked the kid who snuck out with her cane.”

Okay, maybe a little bit of trauma. Alex doesn’t seem to be that bothered by it though, especially if he’s willing to share. Still, it makes him sad that compared to the other horrors Alex has gone through, that would be seen as a non-event.

“Well,” he says at last. “You don’t have to worry about that with me, so let’s go up.”

“No, I don’t,” Alex smiles at him mischievously. “Old man Miranda doesn’t have a cane just yet.”

He’s teasing him. Oh my god, Alex is teasing him! He’s never done that before. Lin can’t deal.

They head up the stairs, before Lin stops Alex at the door, pausing to zip up his coat and pulls his hood up for him. 

“It’s going to be really cold out mijo.”

When they step out the door the snow is coming down hard. It really is a full on blizzard going on right now. Alex takes a hesitant step out and full on gasps, making Lin wary. As excited as Alex has been about this, Lin is fully preparing himself for the kid to be terrified of this new thing.

“Wow,” Alex whispers taking several more steps out into the snowfall. He lifts up his head and looks so at peace as the snowflakes fall on his face for the very first time. He turns around and looks back at Lin, eyes shining with delight. “This is amazing.”

As a lifelong New Yorker Lin can’t say he’s ever been the biggest fan of snow, but there’s one thing he can agree upon: watching Alex’s reaction is pure magic. There’s no fear in his face at all as he lifts up his arms and twirls around slowly, trying to take in every detail.

Now this is interesting. The same boy who is a complete mess anytime there is a significant rainstorm isn’t at all afraid of a blizzard. At first glance Alex seems to be scared of everything, but that’s not actually true. It’s people he’s scared of, which tends to be an all-encompassing fear. The mental catalog he’s made up of things that scare Alex that he knows of include only: people, rainstorms, and guns. With everything else he’s fearless to the point of him and Vanessa fearing for his safety at times.

“Are you enjoying yourself Alexander?”

Alex nods enthusiastically, looking positively giddy. Lin leads him to the edge to take in the view of the now snow touched city.

“Wow,” Alex whispers yet again. He’s got a point. It is beautiful. Lin can feel his snow hating heart melting. Wanting to preserve the moment he takes a picture of the view from the roof before sunrise and sends a quick tweet with it.

_Good morning! See the snow through the eyes of someone seeing it for the first time. Like my kid!_

“Lin…” Alex almost, but not quite whines as he looks at his phone over his shoulder.

“What? Everyone’s going to think I mean Sebastian. Which is true. He will be seeing it for the first time.”

“I don’t get you and twitter.” Was that an eye roll? That was an eye roll! As silly as it might sound, he’s proud of Alex for meeting that teenage milestone.  

“Wait till you get your own. It’s additive. Wait, do you want one?”

“Not really.” And just like that they’re back to atypical teen behavior. What fifteen year old wouldn’t want to engage on social media? They’ll work on it.

“Suit yourself. Hey look Alex! People are already yelling at me for waking them up with tweet alerts at stupid o’clock. Hold on, let me send a reply.”

_@randomperson Hey, if my kid wakes me up at the crack of dawn, then ya’ll have to get up too. Bwahaha! #justturnitoff_

Alex’s face drops at this. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have woken you up so early, should I? That was dumb.”

“What? Alex no! That was just a meaningless tweet for comedic effect. I’m glad we got to have this moment together. What an incredible memory this is we’re making. The first time feeling the snow on your face, mijo. That’s amazing.” Lin wraps his arm around Alex and pulls him in for a side hug, his current go-to form of showing Alex physical affection that over the past few months he's become relatively comfortable with. Which if you consider how there relationship started three months ago when Alex could barely tolerate being in the same room with him, is rather miraculous. So with that in mind what he said really is true: this moment they’re having together is one in a million.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once the day is actually started Lin bundles up both his boys and walks them over to his parents’ house where he can borrow his childhood sled for Alex. Lin wants him to experience all the snow things.

“Wow. It doesn’t even look like the same place, Lin! It’s like we stepped into some mirror universe of our neighborhood,” Alex declares once they step out on the sidewalk. He’s definitely got a way with words.

The walk over is somewhat comical, with Alex going back and forth between rushing ahead and lagging way behind as he pauses to examine everything.

When they get to his parent’s house and ring the doorbell his father answers, looking mildly surprised to see him this early in the morning. Per Alex’s insistence, they made their trek out just as soon as the sun came up.  

“Morning Lin-Manuel. What do you think of this weather?”

“That’s why we’re here Papa.” Lin gestures to Alex standing shyly behind him. His father lights up when he notices him. He’s got such a soft spot for Alex. Really who doesn’t?

“Buenos días, Alex. ¿Cómo estás, chico?”

“Muy bien gracias. ¡Está nevando!” Lin snorts at this. That’s Alex’s catchphrase of the day regardless of the language.

“Sí lo es. ¿Estás emocionado?

“Muy. Es tan hermoso.”

Even though Lin knows he had nothing to do with it, his heart still swells with pride that Alex is able to speak to his father in his native language. Lin always knew he was going to raise his son to be bilingual, and with Alex it’s like he got to skip ahead to the payoff without the effort. These conversations are such a beautiful thing.

“Papa, we have been awake for hours. Alex woke me up well before sunrise to tell me about it.”

“Well naturally. Don’t mind this humbug Alex. Lin-Manuel is spoiled. He grew up taking the snow for granted. Lo sabemos mejor.”

Alex beams at Luis. Despite Alex still being painfully shy around them at times (it had been taken nearly a month before he had started talking to them), Lin is loving the special relationship Alex is forming with his parents. It’s like he’s always belonged.

“We came for the sled. Lin says you still have his old one?”

“Ahhh, yes that I do. I will go get it. Come inside cariño and get warm while I retrieve it.” His father has that over the top Maria Von Trapp glint in his eye again. He enjoys being a grandfather a little too much.

“Is it okay if I stay out?” Alex addresses that question to Lin. How can he say no to that happy, cold flushed face? He’s already shivering slightly, but Lin is certain Alex will be able to call it when it becomes too much.

“Yes, yes, go ahead. We’ll be out in a sec.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With the sled in tow, the next stop for Lin, Alex, Sebastian and Tobi is Inwood Hill Park, where Alex will have plenty of space to roam, explore, and maybe even play. That would be amazing.

It’s not before Lin discovers that he’s going to get his wish.

Alex picks up a chunk of ice and carefully tosses it into the thick snowbank. When the block completely vanishes into the snow, leaving behind a deep crater in the snow where it fell, Alex’s mouth drops open.

“Whoa! Did you see that?”

“Yeah buddy, that was cool.”

Alex makes his way over to the snowbank and with a gleam in his eyes, lifts up his foot.

“No Alex, wait! You’re just wearing- “

Too late. Alex’s leg vanishes into the snow up to his knees sending him into a fit of giggles.

“That’s amazing!” When Alex finally steps out of the snowbank the entire lower part of his jeans are soaking wet. Right, so his foster son is popsiclizing himself a little sooner than expected. Oh well. He _is_ happy.

Alex bends down and gathers a handful of snow into his hand, staring at it with a look of contemplation. The puzzlement on his face is frankly adorable. Finally, Alex seems to come to a conclusion about something and glances up at Lin.

“Can you show me how to build a snowman?”

“Do you want to build a snowman?! Or ride are bikes around the hall?!” Lin sings loudly in response. He can’t help it. It was a perfect set up.

Alex’s eyes go wide and he glances around nervously at the passing pedestrians. “Lin, stop. There are _people_ out here.”

“I never see you anymore, come out the door!!!” This is too easy.

“Stop!” Alex is starting to blush.

“It’s like you’ve gone away!!!!” he belts. “What? Am I embarrassing you, mijo?”

“Yes!”

“I can’t possibly see why, Alex. We used to be best buddies and now we’re not!!!”

Alex starts actively moving away from him.

“I wish you would tell me WHYYYY!!!”

People are staring now at his deliberately off key shouting of the song. Probably a good idea to stop before Alex dies of embarrassment, or full on leaves the scene. He is new to this dad humor business, after all. In fact, so is Lin.

“Okay, Alex I’m done!” he calls to his kid, now several yards away from him. “Let’s build that snowman now.”

Alex takes a few hesitant steps back towards him. “Promise?”

“Yeah, just needed to get it out of my system. Come on, we’ll build the best one in the park.”

“Can we do it on the other side of the park, though? Away from all the people who now think you’re a crazy person?”

“That takes away half the fun, but if you insist.”

\--------------

Once their lopsided snowman is complete Lin leads Alex over to a hill to try out sledding. There are a handful of kids already there with sleds. Lin is pleased to see that they are all at least five years younger than Alex, so the small crowd shouldn’t scare him away. Alex likes kids and it hasn’t passed Lin’s notice that he is a lot more at ease with those younger than him than those his own age.

“What do I do?” Alex asks, eyes gleaming with excitement at the prospect.

“I have Sebastian with me so I can’t join you this time, but come on to the top with me. I’ll give you a push.”

Alexander practically squeals with delight on his first ride down. No fear at all. He certainly has some daredevil tendencies. Alex bounds back up the hill with the sled, making his way up in half the time it’s taking the other kids.

“Do you want me to push you again?”

Alex pauses, preforming mental calculations as he watches the other kids propel themselves with their hands or a running start.

“I think I’m good.”

“I’ll head down and join the other Mom’s then.” There is a small gaggle of women gathered at the bottom of the hill watching their school aged children.

“That’s you!” Alex agrees cheerfully before taking off again. Lin wishes he could bottle up Alex’s current mood and keep it forever.

Nothing gives him more joy than standing back and watching his foster son enjoy himself so thoroughly. This might just be the first time he’s ever seen Alex this at ease. He’s even interacting with the other kids, going as far as to help push the younger ones.

Lin’s going a little picture heavy on his iPhone. This is such an important moment though. Having Alex be so at peace and playful is a big moment for them. He can’t wait to share all the photos with Vanessa. It’s moments like this that make Lin really appreciate having an unusual work schedule, allowing him to have this time with his boys. If it weren’t for his odd hours, him and Alex probably wouldn’t be as close as they are now.

Lin would be happy to keep watching him forever, but after a half hour of this the temperature starts dropping and the snowfall picks up again.

“Alex! I think it’s time to call it bud! It’s getting cold!” Or at least he is. Lin had been so focused on bundling up his boys he hadn’t put much effort into himself, wearing nothing more than a light jacket and beanie. Meanwhile Sebastian’s wearing a thick baby snowsuit tucked into a Baby Bjorn on his chest wrapped in a heavy blanket.

Alex glances back at him for a second before grabbing the sled and running back up the hill.

“Alexander, time to go in!!! ¡Vamonos!”

There is no way he didn’t hear him that time, but Alex completely ignores him. A young mom standing nearby smirks at him.

“He’s not listening to me,” he tells her, somewhat in shock.

“He’s a teenager! Don’t tell me this is the first time?”

Actually yes, but he’s not about to go into it with a stranger. With the exception of their sleep battles, this is the first time Alex hasn’t at least pretended to obey him. Open defiance towards them is not his style. At least it hasn’t been.

Lin watches in resignation as Alex goes down the hill one more time and then starts over to talk with him. Alex notices him coming forward, gets an impish grin on his face and takes off running from him. Who is this carefree kid and what has he done with his morose foster son?

It only takes a split second for the scene to change, with Alex slipping on a spot of ice and flying backwards onto the hard snow with a loud crack. Lin yells out in fear and takes off in a full sprint to get to him. Please be okay. Please be okay. He can’t stand the idea of this precious boy getting hurt by the thing that makes him so happy.

“Alexander! Buddy are you okay?!” he all but shouts as he kneels down next to him. Alex lays still for a good thirty seconds, blinking rapidly as if in shock.

“Whoa,” he says at last.

“Alex are you hurt? Do you think you can sit up for me?” If he is hurt, carrying a wounded Alex back home with a baby strapped to his chest would be difficult, to say the least, but Lin’s fully preparing himself to do just that.

“What was that?!’ asks Alex, looking more baffled than anything else. Lin’s pounding heart starts to slow down.

“You slipped on some ice, mijo. Are you hurt?” he asks again frantically. Just answer the question Alex so he can stop freaking out!

Alex wiggles both legs and arms experimentally, before shrugging and jumping up suddenly, as if nothing had happened at all. “All in working order! That was wild,” he says cheerfully, oblivious to Lin’s panic as he brushes himself off.

“You’re sure?” Lin asks, standing back up as well.

“Totally fine. Wasn’t expecting that to happen though.”

“You do have to be careful in this hon, it’s slippery out. God, I’m so glad you’re okay!” Throwing caution to the wind Lin envelops him in a tight hug, with Sebastian squished between them.

“Liinnnnn,” Alex whines. “People can see us.” In between the protests, Lin can hear his teeth clattering from the cold with Alex’s face being pressed up against his shoulder.

Lin pulls him away and holds Alex out at arm’s reach to take a good look at him. His nose and cheeks are now flushed bright red from the cold. Everything he’s wearing that isn’t waterproof is now soaking wet from the fall and he’s shivering quite violently. Lin curses himself for not noticing this earlier. So much for him being old enough to call it when he got too cold. He supposes the snow really is causing a bit of an age regression for Alex. Not necessarily in a bad way.

“It’s time to head in Alex,” Lin says firmly as the teen squirms out of his grip.

“No, not yet!” Alex arguing with him is wonderful. It’s a sign of huge progress. He’s just not willing to give on this one.

“You’re freezing.”

“I’m fine! I want to keep sledding. Please?”

“Alexander, you aren’t used to the cold weather so you don’t know what serious business this can be. I’d rather not have to take you to the doctor with hypothermia. Surely you don’t want that either?”

Alex scowls at him, but does seem to deflate a little in defeat. “Can I go back out later?”

“Yes, of course. In a few hours once you warm up. Come on, a hot cup of coffee is a good place to start.”

\-----------------

He’s cold. Really, really cold. Everything’s gone numb cold. Cold and happy.

When they get back to the apartment Lin guides him to the couch where he sits him down and wraps him up in a thick blanket (a little too tightly) and then runs off to turn up the heat. If there is one thing Alex has learned about his foster dad is that he is a master fretter.

“Once you’re warmed up a bit you need to get out of those wet clothes,” Lin says/orders/announces as he brings him a steaming cup of coffee.

“I’m okay doing it now.”

“No, I want you under that blanket until you’re not shivering so hard I can see it from across the room. Don’t get up, I’ll help you with your gloves and coat.”

Alex had been with the Mirandas for long enough to know it’s pointless to resist when Lin’s in full mother hen mode. The more he protests, the worse it will be later. So he lets Lin pull off his gloves without comment, but at least puts on a scowl to let his annoyance known.

What Alex didn’t expect was for it to sting as the fabric pulls off his skin or for Lin to suck in his breath once the gloves off.

“Alexander! Your poor hands.”

Alex glances down and, sure enough, both the palms of his hands are all scrapped up and bloody. He wrinkles his nose is distaste. Yuck. It must have happened in the fall.

“Alex you should have told me you were hurt.”

Uhhhhhhh. There wasn’t anything to tell when you don’t know it’s there. Alex squirms under the look Lin is giving him and resists the urge to chew on his lip. Lin _hates_ it when he does that.

“All right, coat off and roll up your sleeves. I need to see the rest of the damage.”

Alex complies with this without a word and sees the continued scrapes going up his forearm to his elbow on his left arm, making him wince.  Not because it particularly hurts, but because Lin looks so sad.

“Why didn’t you say anything? We’ve talked about this sweetheart. I know you’re not used to being cared for, but you’ve got to tell us when something is wrong. This isn’t something you should keep a secret.”

“I didn’t realize I was hurt,” he mutters. The cold numbed the pain and he does have a ridiculously high pain tolerance.  That had always been the case, even before the hurricane, the Atkinsons and the emergence of his frequent headaches (which he still hasn't mentioned to his current foster parents).

“Alex…” From the look he’s getting Lin doesn’t even remotely believe him.

“Look, it’s not a big deal. It’s just a couple of cuts. I’m fine!”

“What about your legs? Will you be honest with me or do I need to check?”

All Lin does is place a hand on his knee, that’s it. But combined with the statement the primal, non-logical part of his brain sees it as a threat. Purely on instinct Alex lets out a yelp and recoils away from Lin. He wishes his body didn’t do that, nor the current unpleasant tightness in his chest. Now Lin looks positively heartbroken.

“Shit! I’m so sorry Alex. That was, well… bit not good.”

“I’m okay,” he says breathing deeply. No panic attack over that one Alex. Totally unnecessary. It’s been a good day. Just _don’t._

“Sorry,” Lin repeats. “I should know better by now. Do you need me to count?”

“No, I’m good. It’s…this is a small one. Give me a minute.” Alex closes his eyes and just thinks about the snow. Thinks about the snowflakes hitting his face for the first time, of the snowman, the feeling of sledding. When he opens his eyes he’s smiling. That actually worked! The visualization techniques his therapist has talked _at_ him about as he refuses participate in their sessions have never worked before. This really must be a good day.

Alex is feeling better, but now Lin looks on the verge of a breakdown. He takes these so hard. Especially if he perceives them to be in any way his fault. If for nothing else Alex wishes he could fix his brain for Lin’s sake.

“Lin, to answer your earlier question, my legs feel okay. I think my tailbone might be a little bruised, but my arms took the bulk of the fall. And I’m sorry.” Alex offers him an olive branch.

“Thank you Alex. That’s all I needed to know. And you _know_ that you never have to apologize for panicking. Not ever. I’m going to get the first aid kit. Will you let me patch you up, or would you prefer to do it yourself?”

“You’d do a better job,” he says in a hopefully nonchalant way. Either way is fine, but Alex knows that getting to tend to his wounds will make Lin feel better. It’s a mother hen thing. 

Just to prove his point, before Lin gets the kit he wraps Alex back up in the blanket so that just his hands and right arm are sticking out. He’s a very silly man that way. Not like any Alex has met before. When Lin gets back he carefully wipes down his scrapes with antiseptic wipes, wraps his hands in gauze and decorates his arm in an assortment of character bandages.

“You’ve been collecting these since before you had kids, haven’t you?” Alex asks in amazement at the sheer number of different Band-Aid varieties Lin has. Lin’s only been a father for four months now, he’s not especially accident prone and Sebastian’s not even mobile yet. They’re for him!

“No comment,” Lin goes just slightly red.  “Are you feeling okay Alex? Do you need painkillers?”

 “For this?” Talk about overkill.

“Okay fine, have it your way,” Lin grumbles as he smooths out the last Band-Aid on his arm, this one with Little Mermaid characters. “Your shivering’s not so bad anymore. Go change into some warm clothes."

Alex stands up and makes for the hallway, but then pauses. “Hey Lin?”

“Hmmm.”

“Thank you for this morning. This has been awesome. You really are the greatest.”

Alex takes great pride in seeing the smile finally return to Lin’s face at these words. He looks quite touched. 

“It’s my pleasure.”

Alex nods in acknowledgement before continuing on to his room. He pauses again at the door, remembering something of the upmost importance.

“One more thing?!”

“Yes?”

“Can I still go back out in an hour? I know I’m hurt and slightly hypothermic, but…please?”

Lin practically chokes with laughter at this. “I don’t think I could stop you if I wanted to.”

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thank you to ImLostForever who has been my beta and creative adviser. Weeks ago she said I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I asked for prompts, but in all honesty I don't think *she* realized what she was getting herself into when she agreed to be my creative sounding board seeing as I've been snowed in and stuck in my apartment with nothing else to do. She's the best!
> 
> For those who didn't already run to google translate who would like to know what Alex and Luis were saying here it is:  
> "Good morning, Alex. How are you kid?"  
> "Very well, thank. It's snowing!"  
> "Yes it is. Are you excited?"  
> "Very. It is so beautiful."  
> And later: "We know better."


End file.
